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Managing your family's cover

No matter what your family looks like, it’s important to have peace of mind that the whole family is taken care of.

Planning for a baby?

There’s so much to plan for when you’re having a baby so, if possible, it’s recommended that you get your health cover in order well before you think about conceiving. This will help to minimise any stress, as well as any out-of-pocket expenses.

Check your current hospital cover

You’ll need check whether your hospital cover includes pregnancy and birth services, as you may need to upgrade your membership before becoming pregnant. This is because pregnancy and birth services carry a 12-month waiting period.

Upgrade to a family cover

Upgrading to a family cover will ensure you/your partner and your baby are covered.

If you’re a soon-to-be parent on a single or couples membership, and you have the right hospital cover, you can receive benefits for the costs of the birth but not for any costs incurred if the baby needs hospital treatment.

To make sure that your baby is covered from birth, we encourage you to upgrade your cover from single/couples to family when you become aware of the pregnancy, or otherwise no later than the date of your baby's birth. If you upgrade your cover after the baby's birth, you'll need to do this within two months of your baby's date of birth to avoid waiting periods for the baby.

If you already have family cover, you'll still need to add your baby to your cover by the date of their birth to make sure your baby is covered. If you add your baby after their birth, you'll need to do so within 12 months of their date of birth to avoid waiting periods for the baby.

Pregnant woman holding belly while working on laptop at home

You’ll need to let us know soon after the birth so we can make sure the baby is listed on your membership. By adding your baby as soon as possible after birth, you can make sure the admission process will be smooth if your baby needs to be readmitted to hospital. We’ll allow up to a maximum of 12 months for you to add your newborn to an existing family membership before waiting periods begin to apply.

Find out more information in our Planning to have a baby factsheet, opens in a new tab.

A Newborn baby boy breastfeeding for the first time.

Are you an overseas visitor?

For overseas visitors who are eligible for RHCA benefits, adding your newborn in a timely manner is encouraged for tax-related purposes, such as the Medicare Levy Surcharge (MLS). Contact us if your baby has a different residency or Medicare eligibility status than you do.

Frequently Asked Questions